This invention relates generally to a compact and portable audio/display device for displaying and reproducing data in the form of alphanumeric information, diagrams, graphics, music, and sound which are recorded on a mass storage medium, such as, an optical medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, CD, CD-ROM or the like, wherein at least two kinds of data are randomly accessed for synchronized and uniform display and audio reproduction with the provision of a mass storage medium in a portable apparatus having an interactive user interface providing for inquirable and inquisitorial input by the user to random access and retrieve demanded response based upon information stored in such a memory. By "compact", it is meant that the apparatus is self contained, i.e., it contains all the functional components of the apparatus in a unitary handheld size unit. By "portable", it is meant that the apparatus can be comfortably held by the user in one hand and operated by the user with the other hand, contains its own power source and is easily carried from one place to another for operation independent of any other kind of information source.
Compact and portable type personal data audio/display apparatus are now in common use, for example, compact electronic pocket-books, notebooks or organizers which include various functional combinations, for example, one or more of the following functions: note pad, diary, phone directory, calendar, world clock, as well as compact electronic dictionaries and electronic translators. However, all of these types of compact and portable type personal data display apparatus are generally limited to alphanumeric and symbol data input/output. For example, a compact microcomputer notebook or pocket organizer is useful to collect dictated communications, such as, notes relative to an overseas trip and the user may visually read written words or sentences that appear on the organizer's display, but for such a small slim device there is no facility to orally reproduce the voice pronunciation of the words and sentences due to its compactness. To include concurrent audio reproduction capability and user inquirable and inquisitorial interfacing while retaining their compact size is considered not practical under present technology for such organizers.
Other compact and portable apparatus provide for concurrent audio speech/display output. One such application is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open publication No. 62-279589 published on Dec. 4, 1987. This publication discloses a portable CD and CD-ROM disc player apparatus which includes concurrent display of alphanumeric and symbol information with audio output, such as speech, associated with the displayed information. Both the audio output and visually displayed data is stored on the CD-ROM. Input means to the compact player apparatus provides interactive functions for stop, fast forward, fast return and start playback command modes. However, this type of interactiveness is of limited capability, i.e., there is no provision of providing a sufficiently large mass memory capability in combination with an input means that permits a user to actively interact with data concurrently displayed and audibly presented to the user, i.e., permitting inquirable and inquisitorial interfacing with data stored in, and displayed on, the apparatus for the purpose of invoking a response thereto, such as is common practice with, for example, non-handheld personal computers (PC), workstations, etc. This is primarily due to the need for compact mass storage memory and the necessary electronics required to provide random access to the mass storage memory to locate, retrieve, decode and display and audibly present data in response to user inquiries.
Another example of such a portable audio/visual electronic apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,225. The portable apparatus utilizes an insertable ROM memory card which contains both audio and video information. The memory card is inserted into the device for display of information on the apparatus display in conjunction with reproduction of speech and other audio information, for example, such as the display and audio reproduction of novels, cartoons and dictionary terms. However, the ability of a portable video/audio electronic apparatus of this type to provide good graphic display quality or generate speech and other audio reproduction via an IC memory card circuit is generally of bad quality. Furthermore, there is no means provided by which a user may actively interact with the data presented on the insertable memory, such as inquirable and inquisitorial interfacing by the user relative to current displayed data. Again, user interfacing in such compact and portable apparatus is aimed at a low level of controlling the presentation of the data, i.e., interfacing is limited to handling of the display and reproduction of audio information, such as start, stop, and sequential replay, either forward or reverse, of stored data, without the capability of entertaining inquiries by the user and providing information in the form of a response or answer to a presented inquiry.
Thus, the disadvantage of employing an IC memory or IC memory card is that the memory capacity for graphics and audio reproduction is too limited and the sound quality reproduction is not acceptable. Moreover, the same is true with the use of a tape memory for sound is undesirable because random access is not efficiently possible and takes too long to retrieve and reproduce the selected sound portion. The use of a tape medium for recording takes a comparatively long period of time for random access of selected data or information desired for playback. Further, as previously indicated, a mass memory, such as a CD-ROM, may be easily employed as an external memory device for a PC, but these types of memories are inconvenient and expensive to consider for application apart from a personal computer application, such as for an application in a compact electronic organizer or other small portable electronic apparatus. An example of the foregoing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,725 involving a portable electronic apparatus base comprising an electronic simulated book that displays on an LCD panel a page of a book from a series of limited pages available in a limited memory provided in the portable apparatus. The apparatus provides for user input to display a selected page from a starting page to an ending page stored in the limited memory and also to consecutively display pages in ordered sequence set in memory. However, there is no ability to randomly select pages or input inquiries into the apparatus based upon information displayed. Furthermore, since there is no mass storage capabilities in this portable apparatus, the user is required to be in close proximity for wireless communication to a PC which has peripheral mass storage of all the book pages on a CD-ROM. Thus, the limited supply of pages stored in the portable apparatus are replenished from the remote PC. As a result, there is no ability to employ the portable apparatus for long periods of time at a remote location from the PC so that any true portability of the apparatus is limited by its proximity to a nonportable PC unit. In this sense, the display apparatus is not truly portable.
Furthermore, there is no means in the portable apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,725 for the user to actively interact with the apparatus at a level of entering queries into the apparatus pertaining to concurrently displayed information in order to solicit audio responses and/or responsive displayed illustrations to satisfy the entered query. Rather, as in the case of previously discussed Japanese Laid Open publication No. 62-279589, there is conventional input means for the purpose of stopping, starting, and sequencing information displayed and audibly reproduced without further higher level and more complex user interactiveness reactive to the stored information. In this connection, while publication No. 62-279589 provides for a mass memory in the form of a CD or a CD-ROM, the function of the CD-ROM is to hold programs for their selective transfer to the memory of the apparatus for execution by the apparatus CPU without any capability of user inquirable and inquisitorial interactiveness relative to data stored on the CD-ROM.
Furthermore, it is difficult to input data to CD-ROM memories by means of an I/O device, such as, a compact keyboard. Thus, a compact portable apparatus that provides complement keyboard input for inputting information are small and not easily useable due to their limited size for the sake of compactness. Alternatively, a smaller key input means to function as a user interface could provide desired inquirable and inquisitorial interfacing with data stored in, and displayed on, and audibly reproduced by the apparatus.
It is an object of this invention to provide a solution to the foregoing mentioned problems.
It is another object of this invention to provide inquirable and inquisitorial interfacing in a compact portable audio/display electronic apparatus.
It is another object of this invention to provide a compact and portable audio/display electronic apparatus that provides for a large mass memory capability and for a high level of interactiveness between the user and stored data in the apparatus capable of providing concurrent visual and audio data in response to inquiries provided by a user relative to displayed data.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a compact display and reproducing apparatus which can immediately retrieve a substantial amount of data or information recorded on small optical media by randomly accessing such data or information and, further, synchronizes the reproduction of at least two kinds of such data, e.g., the display of information and the audio reproduction of information directly associated with the displayed information.